The Bush administration, House, and Senate have now all completed their conservation spending proposals for FY08, including funding levels for the Forest Legacy Program and Land and Water Conservation Fund that have been so integral to protecting eastern forests. Through our Legacy Forests Campaign, the Partnership is working to move Forest Legacy funding to the level of current demand—now $200 to $300 million annually—by 2011. In order to achieve this lofty goal, we are urging Congress to fund the Forest Legacy Program in FY08 at $100 million—a dramatic increase over the President’s request of $29 million and the US House and Senate proposals of $62.7 million and $48.5 million, respectively.

For the Land and Water Conservation Fund, we urgently need at least $320 million of the $900 million that is authorized for the program each year from offshore oil drilling receipts. The Bush administration is proposing only a meager $22 million for LWCF, with the House and Senate somewhat stronger at $205 million and $182 million, respectively.

Please contact your member of Congress to speak up for Forest Legacy and the Land and Water Conservation Fund—America needs these investments in our future! Non-profit organizations can join our sign-on letter to the House-Senate conference committee that will decide the final funding levels for these programs. Contact us for more information at coordinator@easternforest.org